Many boxes are known for storing flies used for fishing, which boxes are generally of the type including at least two portions, a hinge between the portions affording relative pivotal movement of the portions between open and closed positions, the portions defining at least one enclosed cavity between the portions when in the closed position, the box including material adapted to be releasably engaged by flies within the cavity and a latch mechanism for releasably retaining the housing portions in their closed position.
One such box sold by 3M Company, St. Paul, Minn., under the trade designation “C and F Design Waterproof Fly Box” includes an opaque polymeric bottom rectangular dish-like portion and an opaque polymeric cover portion adapted to extend over on open side of the bottom portion, with material adapted to be releasably engaged by flies (i.e., spaced strips of polymeric foam) being positioned both along the inner surface of the cover portion and along the inner surface of a bottom wall of the bottom portion that is spaced from the cover portion. This box is made water proof by means including an O ring around an edge of the bottom portion engaged by the cover portion, and a secure latch assembly that extends the majority of the distance along one side of both portions, both of which add significant costs to manufacturing and assembling the box. The material adapted to be releasably engaged by flies along the bottom wall of the bottom portion can be included in an assembly removeably attached in the box (which can be desirable so that different assemblies to which a different types of flies are attached can be moved into and out of the box), however, the bottom and cover portions of the box are opaque so that a user can not see what types or numbers of flies are within the box without opening it. Also the latch assembly requires the use of two hands to open or close it.
Another such box sold by Aquafly, Inc., San Francisco, Calif., includes two dish-like cover portions, each of which cover portions includes a central wall part, and side wall parts around a periphery of the central wall part projecting generally in the same direction away from the central wall part, and having a continuous distal edge portion opposite the central wall part; a hinge having hinge portions attached to the side wall parts adjacent second sides of the central wall parts, the hinge including a hinge pin generally parallel to the second sides of the central wall parts and affording pivotal movement of the cover portions between a closed position with the distal edge portions of the cover portions opposed, closely spaced from and generally aligned with each other, and an open position with the distal edge portions spaced away from and out of alignment with each other; and a fly retaining assembly comprising a stiff resiliently flexible support plate extending between the distal edge portions of the cover portions when the cover portions are in the closed position. A first side of the support plate is mounted on the hinge pin to affording pivotal movement of the fly retaining assembly relative to the hinge pin independent of the cover portions when the cover portions are in the open position. On each of the major surfaces of the support plate is a layer of flexible material that is engaged by the edge portion of the adjacent cover portion when the cover portions are in the closed position, and that has a central portion adapted to be releasably engaged by flies that is surrounded by the side wall parts of the adjacent cover portion when the cover portion is in the closed position. The support plate includes a flange around the periphery of the support plate that has an inwardly projecting lip along its side opposite the hinge under which an outwardly projecting lip on the adjacent cover portion can be engaged by resilient flexing of the cover portion to retain the cover portion in its closed position. The cover portions on this box are at least semi-transparent so that the quantity and type of flies in the box can be somewhat seen without opening the box, and the box can be closed with one hand; however, the fly retaining assembly can not be removed from the box, and the box may not be as waterproof as may be desired.